United States Merchant Marine Academy Earnings: $93K (2026)

How much do United States Merchant Marine Academy graduates earn?

The reported median is $92,950 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $53,116 as its benchmark; the difference is $39,834 per year.

Azimuth places the return in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings figure is $92,950 four years after completion, which lands in the 95th percentile nationally.

That median is $39,834 above the $53,116 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $92,950. That is $39,834 above the $53,116 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

These are estimates, not observed groups of graduates. Only one program has published four-year earnings: Marine Transportation graduates earn a median of $107,654 four years after completion, from 113 degrees awarded.

An estimated 17.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that snapshot.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $106,088
Median · reported: $92,950
Higher estimate: $114,055

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do United States Merchant Marine Academy graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

That comparison is not reported for United States Merchant Marine Academy. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending United States Merchant Marine Academy caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at United States Merchant Marine Academy report the highest earnings?

The programs at United States Merchant Marine Academy are tightly focused. Engineering accounts for 54.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, and Transportation & Materials Moving makes up the remaining 45.9%.

Only one program, Marine Transportation, has published four-year earnings. Marine Transportation graduates earn a median of $107,654 four years after completion, from 113 degrees awarded a year.

That figure sits at 0.92x the national median for the field. With a single program reporting, the earnings picture is narrow. All published four-year earnings come from this single program.

The degree mix is concentrated in two families. Engineering accounts for 54.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, and Transportation & Materials Moving makes up the remaining 45.9%.

Marine Transportation is the largest single program, with 113 degrees awarded a year. Its graduates earn a median of $107,654 four years after completion, which is 0.92x the national median for the field.

Further analysis

The highest-earning program, Marine Transportation, reports $107,654 four years after completion, and it is also the single largest program.

The median earnings figure for United States Merchant Marine Academy is $92,950 four years after completion. It is drawn from a cohort of 88 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled.

Azimuth places that figure in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, which are estimates based on the program mix rather than observed groups, show a typical outcome of $92,950.

An estimated 17.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.